Explore NZ Like a Local On Guided Walks – No Guesswork, All Fun

Want to Explore NZ Like a Local? Try Guided Walks – No Guesswork, All Fun

New Zealand is a long way from anywhere, so when you finally make it down to Kiwi-land for a New Zealand guided walking holiday, you really want to know that you’ve made smart travel choices and squeezed the most out of every day. Although there is a wealth of information online about how to visit New Zealand for a guided walk or hiking tour, you can never really be sure if the person (or AI bot) that wrote it actually knows what they’re talking about. It’s a lot of guesswork, and the fun is not always guaranteed.

One thing you can be sure of, the best way to hike in New Zealand is on a guided walk with local hiking guides who live and breathe the best New Zealand hikes. A guided walk is an excellent choice for your New Zealand holiday.

What is a New Zealand Guided Walk?

So, what is a guided walk? Think about a New Zealand guided walking or hiking tour like ‘holidays for people who like hiking.’

A New Zealand guided walk is a group travel experience where you walk a series of hiking trails over successive days in high-value conservation areas, led by a local hiking guide. Itineraries are carefully curated to include amazing geographical features and scenic lookouts linked by well-graded trails.

It is a holiday after all, so walking distances are well-planned to remain achievable and fun for a regular walker of moderate fitness, while still providing a challenge that sends you home feeling satisfied you’ve achieved something.

On some New Zealand guided walks, you might spend nights in a Department of Conservation backcountry communal hut for a more rugged backpacking experience. For a more luxurious take on a New Zealand guided walk, try a lodge-based hiking tour with Walking Legends. You’ll enjoy a restorative hot shower, a restful night between sheets and amazing fresh meals – not a foil pouch of dehydrated vegetables in sight!

How Does a Hiking Guide Make My Holiday Better?

A New Zealand hiking guide does all the time-consuming (and sometimes frustrating!) legwork of organising the group hiking trip. They carry the mental load that naturally comes with planning an outdoor adventure. You can just show up and switch your brain off!

Right from Day One, your Walking Legends New Zealand hiking guide handles the tour organisation. They’ve got each day carefully planned; from what time we need to leave the hotel, to what time we need to be safely off the trail at the end of each day. They’ll be keeping an eye on the weather, reading forecasts and making decisions around any changes to the plan that might be needed. They’re also safety experts who monitor everyone’s health and wellbeing while we’re on the trails. In the event of any emergencies, it’s their job to step up and manage the response, including administering outdoor First Aid – which in the deep New Zealand backcountry, requires higher skills than regular workplace First Aid.

Those are all the back-of-house skills a New Zealand hiking guide brings to your New Zealand hiking tour, but there is so much more! Remember, it’s still a holiday and we’re here to have some fun and that’s where their fascinating local stories, cultural insights and group facilitation skills come into play. Here’s where Walking Legends New Zealand hiking guides are distinct – our team are all accomplished individuals in their own right, with a wealth of knowledge and life experience in a host of different areas. They’re a sherpa, therapist, entertainer, chef and friend all rolled into one!

Why Is Walking, Hiking and Tramping So Popular in New Zealand?

New Zealand has a vast amount of natural, outdoor space. Over 32% of New Zealand is conservation land and the best way to access it is on foot, via a network of walking and hiking trails. It’s always been that way – our very earliest walkers were Maori, who used trails to move between inland and coastal areas according to seasonal harvesting patterns. Then came European explorers and pioneers, then deer cullers who used walking and hiking trails to curb the growing populations of pest deer species. As a result, walking and hiking has become a popular recreational pastime in New Zealand, suitable for a wide variety of people and activities like hunting, fishing and trail running. Today, these walking and hiking trails have been redeveloped with the modern, recreational hiker in mind.

Are You Fit Enough For A Guided Walk in New Zealand?

So, a guided walks in New Zealand sounds great right?! But how fit do you need to be? Well, New Zealand is certainly not flat – and Kiwi’s know we have a different definition of ‘flat’ compared to the rest of the world. On an average New Zealand guided walk, you can expect to be on your feet for 6 – 7 hours each day, carrying a small day pack of 4 – 7 kilograms. Some days may include less walking and more sightseeing. Most guided walks in New Zealand have a grading system, so you can judge how difficult they’ll be. You’ll find New Zealand guided walking and hiking itineraries that are weighted towards fitter walkers and those that are designed for shorter bursts of activity.

Underfoot our trails are, on the whole, wide and well-graded but be prepared for uneven terrain that includes tree roots, rocks, sand and loose scoria. In certain sections there’ll also be hard structures to negotiate, like stairs, steps, boardwalks or viewing platforms.

Our infrastructure isn’t the same as older, more established hiking nations in places like Europe and Scandinavia. You won’t find paved footpaths linking small villages with lots of options for meals and supplies. There are very, very few via ferrata-style hiking trails in New Zealand, in the North Island at least!  Our peaks just aren’t as sheer and our hiking trail designers are safety-conscious and tend to steer away from this style of track building.

Walkers and hikers who do a bit of regular exercise and are generally in good health should find any guided walks in New Zealand the perfect active holiday.